Esperanza Hernandez, 8, and Ranier Bassett, 12, work on a planter in the park and community garden that students of Education Connection Access Gertrude Fielding Learning Center have created. They cleaned up what had been a dumping ground behind the Danbury School. Photographed Thursday, May 26, 2011. less

Esperanza Hernandez, 8, and Ranier Bassett, 12, work on a planter in the park and community garden that students of Education Connection Access Gertrude Fielding Learning Center have created. They cleaned up ... more

From left, Science teacher Rich Wasserman, helps Sarah Goane, 17, Angel Wortham, 16, and Chris Babyak, 17, with plantings in the park and community garden created by students of Education Connection Access Gertrude Fielding Learning Center. They cleaned up what had been a dumping ground behind the Danbury School. Photographed Thursday, May 26, 2011. less

From left, Science teacher Rich Wasserman, helps Sarah Goane, 17, Angel Wortham, 16, and Chris Babyak, 17, with plantings in the park and community garden created by students of Education Connection Access ... more

DANBURY -- Teachers at the ACCESS alternative school in Danbury who wanted to have their lunch outside used to sit at a picnic table that overlooked a garbage heap.

"There was a pile of garbage, broken glass," social studies teacher Ryan Kelly said. "It was basically a dumping ground."

No longer. The staff and students at the ACCESS, which is at 345 Main St., spent a month this spring transforming the area into a community park.

"This is part of our environment, and it's been nothing but a garbage heap," said Roland Foerster, who teaches English, American studies and culinary arts at the ACCESS school. "We're trying to reclaim the area."

The Adolescent and Child Collaborative Education and Stabilization Service school is a therapeutic alternative school for middle and high school students who have difficulty learning in a mainstream setting. It serves students from several Connecticut cities, some as far away as Waterbury and Stamford.

According to Foerster, the beautification project was part of an overall effort to teach kids the importance of green living and preserving the environment. The new park lies directly behind the school and next to the Housatonic Railroad tracks, which cut through Main Street.

Dan Durante, a paraprofessional at the ACCESS school, can point to a fresh square of soil and recall precisely the kind of trash that used to be in its place.

"There was a bumper from a car over there," he says, indicating a clear patch of grass next to the parking lot, "just a ton of old car parts. And there was broken glass all over here," he says, pointing to what is now a flower bed.

Staff and students have cleared away the garbage and broken glass that had taken up most of the area. When the project is complete, the area will feature a landscaped garden and a picnic area complete with park benches. During the summer, students will continue planting and tending to the community garden.

"We consider this to be an ongoing project," Foerster said. "We may never be really finished."

Other ideas to improve the space include adding a solar fishpond, swings, a jungle gym, and bird and bat houses, Foerster said.

He said students have been eager to work on the project from the beginning.

"We've had 100 percent participation," he said. "It's easy to say `Hey, listen, we're going to go outside and work on creating a garden.' "

"They'd rather be out here in the nice weather than sitting in the classroom," Kelly added.

About a dozen students were on site recently, planting flowers and dragging bags of mulch to and from the garden. The school asked that the students' names be withheld.

Foerster said the staff had difficulty convincing some school administrators to OK the project.

"There was some hesitancy about having kids come out and do hands-on work. Liability issues," Foerster said.

Eventually, Foerster said the staff was able to convince administration of the benefits of the project.

"They saw the staff's general willingness," he said. "The teachers, paraprofessionals, the principal, all the staff were behind it."

According to Foerster, the park will be called Kostin Park, in honor of the school principal, Mark Kostin.

Kelly said the students take a great deal of pride in the park they're creating.

"This is something they can look at every day and say `We did this,' " he said.

They cleared away the garbage and planted the garden entirely by hand, Foerster said. They did not use any power tools.

As the students' enthusiasm has grown, other members of the community have also become excited about the project. Parents have come out to help plant the garden, Foerster said, and some have donated more than just their time. One parent supplied the school with a park bench to use for the picnic area, and a bus driver donated enough mulch to cover four square yards.

In creating the new park, the students have learned lessons that are beyond the scope of a traditional classroom setting, Kelly said.

"It teaches the kids, if you want something to get done, go out and do it yourself," he said.